A new study published in the American Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics proves that dairy products and foods with a high glycemic index play a role in the occurrence of acne.

The researchers suggest that diet therapy can be used as one of the effective methods for treating acne.

This study is fully consistent with numerous early studies confirming the role of diet in the appearance of acne.

According to the most conservative estimates, about 17 million people in the United States suffer from acne, which mostly worries young people. Acne greatly affects the quality of life of young people, because the disease is associated with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and social isolation.

It is the serious psychological and social consequences that make acne treatment critical to public health.

This is by no means the first study that links diet with skin disease. Since the 1800s, scientists have accused chocolate, sugar and fats of acne. Nevertheless, since the 1960s, Western medicine has given less attention to the role of diet in the development of acne.

Doctor J. Barris, an employee of the Steinhardt School of Nutrition, Food Research and Public Health in New York, says: "The diet was temporarily" rehabilitated "thanks to two major studies that denied the relationship between diet and acne. But later dermatologists and nutritionists revised this issue, once again became interested in the role of diet therapy in the treatment of acne ".

The researchers, led by Dr. Barris, conducted a literature review to analyze all the cases referred to between diet and acne. All the literature they divided into three periods: the early period, the period of the appearance of the myth of diet and the modern period.

The scientists collected information from studies conducted from 1960 to 2012, which examined the relationship between diet and acne. The analysis included the most important factors, such as the nature of the study, the characteristics of participants, limitations, methods, etc..

The review showed that products with a high glycemic index, like dairy products, are the main dietary risk factors for acne. The authors emphasize that even studies of the 1960s that showed that food does not cause acne did not prove that a diet can not exacerbate an existing disease.

American scientists recommend dieticians and dermatologists to work together to create effective recommendations on this issue.

Dr. Barris concluded: "This study was necessary to put an end to the controversial issue, to investigate the relationship between diet and acne, and to suggest possible ways of treating this disease.

The medical community should not miss the possibility of using diet therapy as an additional way to treat acne. In our time, the best option is an individual approach to each patient, a careful assessment of all possibilities ".

Finally, we remind readers that in 2007, one major study confirmed that products with a low glycemic index can improve insulin sensitivity and save patients from acne. This fact is also worth considering.

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